Moving oil from the Middle East to Europe isn't as easy as it used to be.
For many European nations, sourcing oil from countries such as Saudi Arabia or Kuwait is becoming increasingly tricky because crude tankers must travel through areas such as the Gulf of Aden, a region prone to Somali hijackings.
Moving oil from the
Middle East
to
Europe
isn't
as easy as it used to be.
For many European nations, sourcing oil from countries such as
Saudi
Arabia
or
Kuwait
is
becoming increasingly tricky because crude tankers must travel through areas
such as the
Gulf of Aden
, a region prone to Somali
hijackings.
And the situation demonstrates no signs of cooling off.
Piracy hit an all-time high in the first six months of 2011, with 266 attacks
worldwide, up from 196 a year earlier, according to statistics from the
International Maritime Bureau. Of the 266 attacks, a whopping 60% were carried
out by Somali pirates.
Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, Secretary-General of the United Nations maritime
body, on Thursday told a press conference in
London
that
Somali pirate activity was "a stigma of the 21st century's
civilization."
Mr. Mitropoulos said threats of pirate hijackings have increased voyage times
as vessels are forced to take significantly longer routes, avoiding where
possible transit through the piracy zone. "Longer, diverted routes mean
delays in the replenishment of European energy stocks," he said.
Dr. Christopher Spearin, Department of Defense Studies at
Canadian
Forces
College
,
argues that European trade is "heavily reliant upon the timely, unhindered
movement of vessels in the waters between the
Indian
Ocean
and the
Suez Canal
." Dr. Spearin adds that
80% of total trade that passes through the
Gulf of Aden
is in
fact with
Europe
. This also includes one-third of
Europe
's oil
supplies.
On July 20, 22 ships remain in the custody of Somali pirates and 464 seafarers
are held currently as hostages.
While once upon a time hijackings would involve knives and playground tactics,
Somali pirates now embark on violent attacks with the use of guns and in some
extreme cases have even resorted to the execution of hostages.
On April 8, Somali pirates released Greek-owned oil tanker Irene SL after 58
days in captivity. Published reports claim a fee of more than $13 million was
negotiated. The hijacking marked a significant escalation in Somali piracy,
taking it into the main sea lanes of the
Arabian Gulf
. The
crude-oil tanker hijacking represented 20% of total
U.S.
daily
crude oil imports, or 5% of total daily world sea-borne oil supply.
The global shipping community blames the reluctance of international
governments to prosecute Somali pirates, even after they've been caught in the
act of hijackings. Ship brokers say fears that pirates could claim asylum mean
governments are reluctant to put pirates on trial.
Shipping associations such as the International Association of Independent
Tanker Owners, or Intertanko, argue that governments must prosecute detained
pirates rather than embrace a head-in-the-sand approach to the situation.
But one thing is sure. This problem is not going to vanish overnight.
Διαβάστε ακόμα
Τρι, 24 Σεπτεμβρίου 2024 - 19:58
Τρι, 24 Σεπτεμβρίου 2024 - 19:54
Τετ, 18 Σεπτεμβρίου 2024 - 18:32
Τετ, 18 Σεπτεμβρίου 2024 - 18:27
Τρι, 17 Σεπτεμβρίου 2024 - 20:01